I really liked last week's episode but there Is something that the show is doing, or attempting to do that is falling kinda flat with me. I keep coming back to a comparison with MASH, a group of silly individuals in a serious situation, and often enough amidst the hilarity there is something serious that happens that does fall kinda heavy on the viewer, at least it did with me.
Though I love the humor in the Orville, I feel when they try to bring it back to something serious, it's the seriousness that never ever sticks with me, in fact I find the attempt at real drama so silly it feels like a joke in and of itself.
The idea that LaMarr gets put on an away team, who's number one rule is to stay out of sight, out of mind and not cause a ruckus, while proceeding to dry hump a statue is hilarious to me, But it's so god awful stupid that I can't take his plight seriously, and his subsequent behavior not taking the rest of his situation seriously seemed again, hilarious to me but to stupid to take even remotely seriously.
Now maybe I'm reading the show's attempt wrong and they aren't trying so much to pull the mash "silly here serious there" thing, but it seems to me they are trying, and having a guy that bungling run into that situation makes it hard to take this as a "dramady" as someone recently told me it was.
I mean this is a minor nitpick, I still love the show and will take the laughs as I get them, I give last week's a solid 8 outta 10.